Sandra took a moment to compose her thoughts, deliberately buttering a roll under Ariel’s flinty scrutiny. “I’m an intake psychiatrist. I work for State, yes. I spoke to Orrin when Officer Bose first brought him in. Do you know how State Care works? It’s a little different in North Carolina, I believe.”

“Officer Bose says it’s some kind of lock-up for crazy people.”

Sandra hoped Bose had not said exactly that. “The way it works is, when indigent people, people with no fixed address or income, have trouble with the police, they can be remanded to State Care even if they haven’t committed a crime—especially if the police believe the person can’t be safely abandoned back on the street. State Care isn’t a lock-up, Ms. Mather. And it’s not a mental hospital. There’s an evaluation period of seven days, during which we determine whether an individual is a candidate for full-time care in what we call a custodial guided-living environment. At the end of that time the person in question is either released or accorded dependency status.” She was conscious of using words Ariel probably wouldn’t understand—worse, the same words printed in State Care’s three-page pamphlet for concerned families. But what other words were there?

“Orrin’s not crazy.”

“I interviewed him myself, and I’m inclined to agree with you. In any case, nonviolent candidates can always be released into the custody of a willing family member with an income and a legal address.” She spared a glance for Bose, who should have explained all this. “If you can prove you’re Orrin’s sister—just a driver’s license and a social security card will do—and if you’re verifiably employed and willing to sign the forms, we can release Orrin to you more or less immediately.”

“I told Ariel the same thing,” Bose said. “In fact I called State to say we were submitting the paperwork. But there’s a problem. Your supervisor, Dr. Congreve, claims Orrin had a violent spell this afternoon. He assaulted an orderly, Congreve says.”

Sandra blinked. “Seriously? I didn’t hear anything about a violent incident. If Orrin assaulted anyone, it’s news to me.”

“It’s bullshit is what it is,” Ariel said. “You talked to Orrin even a little, you’d know it’s bullshit. Orrin never assaulted nobody in his life. Can’t crush a bug without apologizing to it first.”

“The accusation may not be true,” Bose said, “but it makes it more difficult to release him.”

Sandra was still struggling with the idea. “Certainly it doesn’t sound like behavior I would expect from Orrin.” Though how well did she really know him, after a single interview and a follow-up conversation? “But what are you saying—that Congreve is lying? Why would he do that?”

“To keep Orrin locked up,” Ariel said.